What Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes did after scoring vs Fulham as Man City signing proves Mikel Arteta right
In an impressive manner, Arsenal secured a 3-0 victory over their London rivals Fulham on Sunday, following Manchester City’s triumph over Crystal Palace.
The Gunners had their Premier League lead reduced to two points on Saturday, as Manchester City secured three points at Selhurst Park with Erling Haaland’s 27th league goal of the season.
But Mikel Arteta’s team was able to extend their lead to five points once again with the help of three goals in the first half from Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli, and Martin Odegaard.
This win marked Arsenal’s 21st victory in the league out of 27 games.
Fulham posed no significant threat to Aaron Ramsdale’s goal during the entire match. In addition to earning their first clean sheet since defeating Everton, Arsenal’s title hopes were significantly boosted with the return of striker Gabriel Jesus, who had been out due to a long-term knee injury.
The team appears to be in good form, and Gabriel scored the opening goal with a well-executed header. He also displayed the strong bond between the players and Arteta’s coaching staff by celebrating the goal with Nicolas Jover, who is the club’s specialist in set-pieces.
Nicolas Jover joined Arsenal last summer to reunite with Mikel Arteta, with whom he had worked at Manchester City. Jover’s expertise in both attacking and defending set-pieces has been evident this season, and he may have played a role in Gabriel’s goal.
After the victory, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp commended Arsenal’s set-piece strategies.
“Arsenal have got 12 goals from set pieces, it’s something they’ve massively improved on from previous years,” he said when analysing the goal.
“Fulham defend in a zonal situation so Arsenal get all their players at the back post and you can see that Arsenal identify this and really get a run on the team. Tosin – number four – has a problem and then Thomas Partey plays a big part as he bumps him out of the way and then that leaves the space for Gabriel to come in.”
What Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes did after scoring vs Fulham as Man City signing proves Mikel Arteta right
